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The socioeconomic conditions of saving behaviours in Polish households

In logit models one of the basie analytical parameters is the odds ratio Exp(B), which provides infonnation about the ratio between the probability of occurrence of an event and the probability that the event will not take place. In Table 2 the bold type and brack-eted traits refer to interpretation reference categories. The odds ratio value for individual variables is given in the last column and marked as Exp(B). If Exp(B) > 1, there is a high-er chance that the household has savings. In a reverse sitnation the chance decreases.

As results from the presented results of the estimation of the logit model parameters (Table 2), if the household is run by a woman. its chance to have savings is reduced by 19%, as compared with the households where the head is a man.

Households in big cities, i.e. those with a population of morę than 100 thousand in-habitants. have relatively liigher chances for savings. In the otlier types of places the probability of savings drops by 15%.

One of the morę iinportant aspects of developing saving behaviours in households is education. which is measured with the education level. A liigher level of education has significantly positive influence on the propensity to save. The households mn by people with post-secondary school or liigher education have definitely the highest chances for savings. For the households mn by people with primaiy school or lower level of education the odds ratio is 0.269. Tliis means that the chance of those households to have savings is morę than 70% smaller than in the households of people with post-secondaiy school or liigher education. In the families where the head of the household has vocational or middle school education the cliance for savings is morę than 60% smaller and in the households of people with secondaiy school education it is two times smaller than in the reference group, i.e. the group with higher education.

Another significant factor diversifying saving behaviours is the householders socio--occupational status. In comparison with the reference group (the Staff of the private and public sector) the households of farmers and those belonging to old age pensioners and disability pensioners have the highest cliance for savings. The odds ratio for those groups is 1.360 and 1.243, respectively. On the otlier hand. the chances for savings dramatically decrease with occupationally passive and unemployed people. The chances for savings in these socio-occupational categories are nearly one tliird (occupationally passive people) and morę than a half (unemployed people) smaller than in the group of people working in the private or public sector.

The results of the study also point to the fact that the householders marital status significantly detennines saving behaviours. The probability of savings is the highest in the households of married people. In comparison with them the propensity to save in the otlier marital status categories included in the analysis is considerably lower. As results from the data in Table 2, being single or divorced reduces the chance for savings by about 30% and for widowers - by nearly 50%.

The biological type of the family does not exert big influence on the savings in the household. Statistically significant differences can be obsen ed only in the households of married couples with three or morę children, where the chance for savings is 40% smaller than in the households of cliildless married couples. Similar conclusions can mostly be derived from the analysis of the number of people in a household. As the nurnber in-creases by one. the chance for savings decreases by 7.3%.

Oeconomia 13 (4) 2014